10 Signs You Experienced Emotional Abuse As A Child

Your experiences as a child help shape you into the person you become. If you were a victim of emotional abuse when you were young, you might have certain behaviors in your adult life that stem from your childhood.

1. You Are Constantly Apologizing

If you have a habit of constantly saying “sorry” to others, even when it’s not necessary, it may stem from the way you were treated as a child. Children who endure emotional abuse constantly feel like they are never able to do anything right and everything bad that happens is their fault.

2. You Second Guess Yourself

Confidence can be a hard trait to possess, but if you are always second guessing everything, it may have something to do with your childhood. Children who grow up in a chaotic or abuse environment may have a hard time believing in themselves or their ability to make the right decision.

3. You Are Sensitive To Loud Noises

An abusive home can be loud and scary, especially for a child. If you find yourself jumping every time a car alarm goes off, or your first reaction is fear when something falls in the other room, it may be due to an abusive home life.

4. You Are Introverted

Children who come from an abusive home often have a hard time trusting others. They’re afraid to get too close, or to show anyone else who they really are. They tend to distance themselves from others in order to stay safe.

5. You Lack Eye Contact

Keeping eye contact with someone when you’re having a conversation can make you seem poised and confident. But children who lived in a chaotic environment may feel anxiety about making eye contact with others.

6. You Hide From Conflict

Growing up in an abusive home can have a profound effect on your view of conflict. You automatically see it as violent, so you do everything you can to avoid it. Running feels safer then facing a tough situation.

7. You Constantly Beat Yourself Up

Being emotionally abused can cause your self-esteem to suffer. If you are constantly beating yourself up over things you said or did, it may be caused you were told that everything was your fault when you were a child.

8. You Can’t Take A Compliment

If you endured emotional abuse, you may struggle with seeing yourself as worthy. When someone compliments your looks, your ideas or your success, you shy away from the compliment because you think you don’t deserve their praise.

9. You’re Angry

Emotional abuse can stay with you for a very long time. You might constantly replay your abuser’s words in your head and think about what you endured, which makes you angry. You might not let other people see it, but deep down you’re angry.

10. You Are Humble

Through it all, you stay humble and make time to appreciate the little things. You didn’t let your abuse change you into a bad person. Instead, you remember that you are a survivor.